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PSS employees can now receive up to 480 hours of sick leave benefits
Public School System employees can now avail of lengthier sick leave benefits after the State Board of Education approved Wednesday an increase in sick leave benefits from 160 hours to 480 per employee per annum.
The new sick leave donation policy entitles PSS employee to receive unused sick leave benefit of their peers for up to 480 hours per year. This is applicable to both certified and non-certified employees of the system.
Certified personnel include classroom teachers, instructors, administrators, and counselors. Non-certified staff consists of support staff or non-teaching positions.
Under the new policy, the education commissioner is granted the authority to create a universal sick leave pool to which employees may donate their sick leaves if a colleague is in need of long-term sick leave and has used all of their sick and annual leaves already.
Certified employees who have been contracted by PSS for a period of three months or more are eligible for sick leave with pay. They will accrue five days sick leave upon being hired every school year.
The sick leave shall have no cash value at any time and unused portions shall carry over from year to year. Employees working a 190-day per year schedule, like teacher aides, will also be given five days of sick leave per school year.
“The use of sick leave shall allow the employee to be paid at their usual rate while ill, injured, receiving a medical, dental, or optometry examination, or if his or her immediate family are under a doctor ordered quarantine. Sick leave will be allowed if the employee is able to provide satisfactory verification of the illness, injury, quarantine, or medical appointment,” stated the policy, adding that doctors’ note may be required by the employee’s direct supervisor in their discretion prior to approving payment for the use of sick leave.
Meantime, non-certified employees who have been contracted by PSS for a period of three months or more are eligible for sick leave with pay. Sick leaves shall accrue at a rate of four hours per pay period. The policy states that sick leaves shall accrue in each pay period only so long as the employee works or is in paid leave status for all 10 weekdays of the pay period. Otherwise, there will be no accrual for that pay period.
